National Dems Bash McMahon In Conn. Senate Race Ad

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — National Democrats have begun airing a TV ad attacking the business record of the Republican candidate for Connecticut’s U.S. Senate seat, accusing former professional wrestling executive Linda McMahon of being “a bad CEO.”

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee released a 30-second spot on Saturday. It marks the first time the DSCC, a Washington-based organization that works to get Democrats elected to the Senate, has run a TV spot in the competitive race since Attorney General Richard Blumenthal secured the party’s nomination in August.

The ad focuses on McMahon’s work at World Wrestling Entertainment, where she was the CEO until last fall, when she decided to run for her first public office. It accuses her of laying off workers while taking bonuses for herself, spending thousands on lobbyists to secure tax breaks, and supporting corporate tax breaks.

The ad refers to McMahon as “a bad CEO” who would be “a worse senator.”

In response, McMahon’s campaign focused on Blumenthal, who has been the state’s attorney general for nearly two decades.

“Dick Blumenthal is a lifelong politician who has no idea how to create jobs, and he’s spent his career attacking job creators instead of helping them,” said McMahon spokesman Ed Patru. He accused Blumenthal of supporting higher taxes and more government.

The DSCC ad comes a day after Blumenthal released his own TV ad that also mentions the WWE layoffs and says McMahon “took $10 million from the state to create jobs.” It also says McMahon is “talking about lowering the minimum wage,” although she did not explicitly say she would do so when she was endorsed by a business group on Thursday.

When asked by a reporter if she would support reducing the current wage rates, McMahon did not answer yes or no. Rather, she said, “I think we ought to look at all of those issues in terms of what mandates are being placed on businesses and can they afford them.”

Neither Blumenthal’s campaign nor the DSCC would comment on how much they spent on their respective ads.

A recent Quinnipiac University poll shows Blumenthal with a slight lead over McMahon, who has said she’ll spend as much as $50 million of her own money on the race.